Quality of life in patients with bullous dermatoses

Genetic and acquired bullous dermatoses can severely affect multiple domains of a patient's quality of life (QOL). Integrating formal evaluation of QOL into the clinical evaluation of patients facilitates an objective assessment of disease severity, mapping of disease trajectory, and captures therapeutic intervention outcomes. There have been 5 studies evaluating QOL in autoimmune dermatoses and 4 studies reviewing QOL in the genodermatoses. All literature to date indicates a significant disease burden in this setting. The development of formal QOL instruments has facilitated quantification of QOL deficits in this arena and offers promising tools for patient assessment in the future.